Charles Edgar Pickett (January 14, 1866 – July 20, 1930) was a two-term Republican

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Iowa's 3rd congressional district Iowa's 3rd congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its southwestern quadrant, which roughly consists of an area stretching from Des Moines, Iowa, Des ...

Early years

Born near

Bonaparte, Iowa Bonaparte is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 359 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the Des Moines River and contains a number of historical buildings, including a large pottery. History The area wa ...

, Pickett attended the

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretar ...

s. He graduated from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...

in 1888 and from its

College of Law A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary school ...

in 1890. Pickett was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1890 and commenced practice in

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 67,314, making it the List of cities in Iowa, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

. He served as vice president of the Pioneer National Bank, and went on to serve as regent of the University of Iowa from 1896 to 1909. He served as chairman of the Republican State Convention in 1899.

Political career

In 1908, Pickett was elected as a Republican to represent Iowa's 3rd congressional district the Sixty-first Congress. Two years later he was re-elected, leading to service in the Sixty-second Congress. In 1912, when Republicans were divided between their own party's candidates and candidates of the

Bull Moose Party The Progressive Party, popularly nicknamed the Bull Moose Party, was a Third party (U.S. politics), third party in the United States formed in 1912 by former president Theodore Roosevelt after he lost the 1912 Republican Party presidential prim ...

, Pickett ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by Democrat Maurice Connolly of Dubuque. In all, he served from March 4, 1909 to March 3, 1913. After losing the election, he resumed the practice of law in Waterloo. He again served as chairman of the Republican State Convention in 1916, and served as delegate at large to the

1920 Republican National Convention The 1920 Republican National Convention nominated Ohio Senator Warren G. Harding for president and Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge for vice president. The convention was held in Chicago, Illinois, at the Chicago Coliseum from June 8 ...

. In 1922, U.S. Senator William S. Kenyon of Iowa resigned to accept a judgeship, forcing a special election. Pickett was one of six Republicans who ran in the Republican primary for Kenyon's former senate seat. Insurgent Smith W. Brookhart finished far ahead of Pickett and the others, by a great enough margin to avoid a convention fight."Brookhart Given 41.1 Percent on All Primary Ballots," Waterloo Evening Courier, 1922-06-07 at 1. Pickett died in Waterloo, on July 20, 1930. He was interred in Elmwood Cemetery in Waterloo.

References

External links

Charles E. Pickett Papers
are housed at University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections & Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Pickett, Charles Edgar 1866 births 1930 deaths University of Iowa alumni University of Iowa College of Law alumni Iowa lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives